Aug 26, 2011

We Gotta Get Out of This Place, If it's The Last Thing We Ever Do

GOODBYE ILLINOIS ...

Nice place to be from.

Former State Senator
and Republican Cook County Board President candidate Roger Keats and
his wife Tina are leaving Illinois to live in Texas.
They bid farewell to their Illinois friends in a Wilmette Beacon
article and with this letter this weekend, saying they're "voting with
their feet and their wallets":

GOOD BYE AND GOOD LUCK

As
we leave Illinois for good, I wanted to say goodbye to my friends and
wish all of you well. I am a lifelong son of the heartland and proud of
it. After 60 years, I leave Illinois with a heavy heart. BUT enough is
enough! The leaders of Illinois refuse to see we can’t continue going
in the direction we are and expect people who have options to stay
here. I remember when Illinois had 25 congressmen. In 2012 we will
have 18. Compared to the rest of the country we have lost 1/4th of our
population. Dont blame the weather, because I love 4 seasons.

Illinois just
sold still more bonds and our credit rating is so bad we pay higher
interest rates than junk bonds! Junk Bonds! Illinois is ranked 50th for
fiscal policy; 47th in job creation; 1st in unfunded pension
liabilities; 2nd largest budget deficit; 1st in failing schools; 1st in
bonded indebtedness; highest sales tax in the nation; most judges
indicted (Operations Greylord and Gambat); and 5 of our last 9 elected
governors have been indicted. That is more than the other 49 states
added together! Then add 32 Chicago Aldermen and (according to the
Chicago Tribune) over 1000 state and municipal employees indicted. The
corruption tax is a real cost of doing business. We are the butt of
jokes for stand up comics.

We
live in the most corrupt big city, in the most corrupt big county in
the most corrupt state inAmerica . I am sick and tired of subsidizing
crooks. A day rarely passes without an article about the corruption and
incompetence. Chicago even got caught rigging the tests to hire police
and firemen! Our Crook County CORPORATE property tax system is
intentionally corrupt. The Democrat State Chairman who is also the
Speaker of the Illinois House (Spkr. Mike Madigan) and the most senior
alderman in Chicago each make well over a million dollars a year putting
the fix in for their clients tax assessments.

We
are moving to Texas where there is no income tax while Illinois just
went up 67%. Texas sales tax is ½ of ours, which is the highest in the
nation. Southern states are supportive of job producers, tax payers and
folks who offer opportunities to their residents. Illinois shakes them
down for every penny that can be extorted from them.

In
The Hill Country of Texas (near Austin and San Antonio ) we bought a
gracious home on almost 2 acres with a swimming pool. It is new, will
cost us around 40% of what our home in Wilmette just sold for and the
property taxes are 1/3rd of what they are here. Crook County's property
tax system is a disaster: Wilmette homes near ours sell for 50% more
and their property taxes are ½ of ours. Our assessed home value was 50%
higher than the sales price. The system is unfair and incompetent.

Our
home value is down 40%, our property taxes are up 20% and our local
schools have still another referendum on the ballot to increase taxes
over 20% in one year. I could go on, but enough is enough. I feel as
if we are standing on the deck of the Titanic and I can see the icebergs
right in front of us. I will miss our friends a great deal. I have
called Illinois home for essentially my entire life. But it is time to
go where there is honest, competent and cost effective government. We
have chosen to vote with our feet and our wallets. My best to all of
you and Good luck!